Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said that his country will not recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights unless it is approved by the international community. The statement was made in response to the call by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept his nation’s presence there. Israel took the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 during the Six-Day War.
“Israel on the Golan Heights is a guarantee for stability in the surrounding area,” said Netanyahu. “Israel on the Golan Heights is a solid reality based on ancient rights. Israel on the Golan Heights is a fact that the international community must recognize, and as long as it depends on me, the Golan Heights will always remain under Israeli sovereignty because otherwise we would have Iran and Hezbollah on the shores of the Kinneret.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu has announced plans to meet soon with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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